Don’t know if it’s possible, but in case you missed it, Rush is coming back!
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson just dropped a bomb: the legendary Canadian prog rock trio is hitting the road again for a North American tour in 2026. And as you’d expect, every show will honour the late, Neil Peart.
Rush’s farewell tour wrapped in 2015 after 35 headline shows, and drummer Neil Peart passed away in 2020. On Monday night (October 6), Lee and Lifeson lit up social media with a jam clip from Geddy’s home studio (below). Lee looked straight at the camera and said:
“After 2015, it was a very quiet and sad period. And when I think back to the tribute concerts for Taylor Hawkins, we went out on stage and played our songs for the first time in a long time. There was a special feeling attached to that. Bittersweet because of obvious reasons.”
A few riffs later, Lee grinned and added:
“When we started jamming again down here, it felt like a continuation of that moment. You were getting even more excited than I was. And that’s what’s put us in this terrible situation. We have to announce that we’ve made a decision to go back on tour.”
Lifeson turned to the camera with a smile of pure rock‑star mischief:
“Hi, we’re going back on tour! So we’ll see you soon! I think it’s great. We’re musicians and we’re players and our music is special.”
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Okay, so who’s gonna play drums on this Rush tour?! Anikka Nilles. I have one thing to say: Welcome to chops-city!
Here’s what Geddy had to say about her: “How do we replace someone who is irreplaceable? I have heard from Scully, my bass tech… about this drummer named Anika Nilles. He mentioned how impressive she was, how talented and musical she was. And powerful.”
“I think you and I playing with her started to put a charge in us, when we heard those songs come back to life. It was only once we had those successful rehearsal sessions with her, that made me feel like ‘Yes, we can do this. We can do justice to this and it’s going to be fun.’”
Expect a few tweaks on stage. Lee hinted he might focus more on bass and vocals, with potential additional members to handle keyboards on classics like Tom Sawyer.
Rush’s Fifty Something tour tickets pre-sale starts tomorrow, October 9, at 11:59 PM ET.
JUNE
07 – Los Angeles, CA – KIA Forum
09 – Los Angeles, CA – KIA Forum
18 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
24 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
26 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
JULY
16 – Chicago, IL – United Center
18 – Chicago, IL – United Center
28 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUGUST
07 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
09 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
SEPTEMBER
17 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
After initially hesitating earlier this year, Lifeson reflected on why the timing felt right:
“The energy was fantastic around that show… For forty years Rush included Neil, and I don’t think putting some new version together would have the same magic. But after a few weeks that wore off and it occurred to me that despite all the pain of loss, Rush went out on a high note… I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top Rush tribute band.”
Rush is back. That’s crazy. Literally never thought that would come outta my mouth/fingers!
